The BC (Bob Collymore) International Jazz Festival held at the Carnivore grounds on the 1st of July was a celebration of jazz music and of the life of Bob Collymore, who was the CEO at Safaricom from 2010 until his death in 2019.
Bob played the saxophone and is remembered for making jazz mainstream in Kenya through the Safaricom International Jazz Festival that featured international artistes, and Safaricom’s support for the Ghetto Classics and Safaricom Youth Orchestra.
Four years after his passing, the Bob Collymore Foundation is keen to continue Bob’s vision of changing society beat by beat through music.
The inaugural BC International Jazz Festival (BCIJF) featured the cream of the Kenyan jazz scene with the Nairobi Horns Project, the pianist Jacob Asiyo, afro-fusion band Shamsi Music, saxophonist Edward Parseen, guitarist Jack Maguna as well as the Safaricom Youth Orchestra and Ghetto Classics taking to the stage. On the decks was DJ D-Lite.
Speaking to Newsroom on the sidelines of the concert, Wambui Collymore, Festival Director of BCIJF, was ecstatic with the attendance as she looked positively to the future, saying, “Very shortly, this will be a sold-out concert.”
For Safaricom’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Stephen Kiptinness, the event brought back memories of his first time attending Safaricom Jazz Festival eight years ago “and the music was food for the soul.”
Safaricom’s support for the Bob Collymore International Jazz Festival was to the tune of KES5 million. “The support is part of Safaricom’s purpose of transforming lives. It’s part of impacting community. Safaricom will continue to support well into the future, music for the youth, arts, sports as well, because this is what gives the youth meaning in life,” said Kiptinness.
In addition to enjoying the good vibes and feasting on food for the soul, jazz enthusiasts who attended the concert also drummed to the beat of charity.
“The wonderful thing about the tickets that most people have bought, part of the proceeds will go to Ghetto Classics which is a program of the Art of Music Foundation that works with over 300 children from working class families in Korogocho, Mukuru kwa Reuben, Mombasa and Kisumu,” said Wambui Collymore.
Watch the video to see how it went down at the Bob Collymore International Jazz Festival.
